OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between perpetration of intimate partner violence and HIV risk behaviors among men in methadone maintenance treatment programs (MMTPs). METHODS: A sample of 310 men with intimate female partners included in this study. Using binary logistic regression, we explored the association between perpetration of partner violence in the last year and HIV risk-taking behaviors controlling for socio-demographics (age, ethnicity, education), poverty indicators (homelessness, income, unemployment), and drug use (alcohol, heroin, cocaine/crack). RESULTS: One-third of the sample (32.5%) reported physically or sexually abusing an intimate partner in the past year. The average participant was 42 years old. The majority was Latino (52.9%) or African-American (31.9%). One in four (26.8%) was homeless last year, and two-thirds (66.3%) were currently unemployed. In the past 6 months, almost half used heroin (46.9%) or cocaine/crack (45.2%) and 29.6% reported alcohol intoxication. Preliminary logistic regression analyses indicate that abusers are more likely than non-abusers to have more than one intimate partner, to have sex with a drug-injecting partner, to exchange sex for money, and to share needles in the past 6 months. The association between partner abuse and these HIV risk behaviors remained significant when adjusting for socio-demographics, poverty indicators, and drug/alcohol use. CONCLUSION: The significant relationships between partner violence and HIV risk found among this sample of men in MMTPs are consistent with previous findings on drug-involved women. Targeted interventions designed to prevent HIV infection in intimate relationships need to consider a man's abusive profile before they are implemented.
Learning Objectives: 1. To identify significant relationships between partner violence and HIV risk and potential mediating factors among this sample of men on methadone. 2. To draw three major implications of study findings for designing HIV prevention strategies targeted to men in abusive intimate relationships in MMTPs
Keywords: Domestic Violence, HIV Risk Behavior
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.